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Farming With Grass: Achieving Sustainable Mixed Agricultural Landscapes in Grasslands Environments

Posted on: Thursday, 6 March 2008, 12:00 CST

By Anonymous

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) will convene a conference to address the factors driving change in mixed agricultural systems. Specific objectives include: * Engage participants across diverse disciplines and institutions in identifying research, technology, and policy needs to maintain competitive and environmentally sound agricultural systems under dynamic natural, social, economic, and policy drivers.

* Provide professional development and networking opportunities

* Identify key knowledge gaps and technology limitations that impede the ability of individuals and communities to evaluate options to meet multiple objectives

* Identify policy alternatives to promote sustainable agricultural systems

Conference registration and more information available online at www.swcs.ora/fwa

Program/Agenda

The three-day conference will consist of invited keynote speakers, submitted posters, and facilitated roundtable discussions organized around the following topic areas:

1. Status and trends in types of agricultural systems, inputs, productivity, profitability, environmental indicators, and rural demographics and economics. Lead speaker: John lkerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri

2. Environmental, social, and economic benefits of mixed grassland landscapes to include farm level, rural community, and broad social perspectives. Lead speakers: Deborah E. Popper, Associate Professor of Geography, College of Staten Island, City University of New York and Frank J. Popper, Professor, Planning and Public Policy Program, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University

3. Factors driving change in grassland environments (e.g., resource availability, demographics, social dynamics, economics, climate change, farm, environmental and energy policy, and local zoning/farmland preservation) Lead speaker: Vivien Gore Allen, Thornton Distinguished Chair, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University

4. Assessment tools for monitoring and predicting changes and to support scenario analyses of alternatives and tradeoffs. Lead speaker: Dennis Ojima, Senior Scholar, The H John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment

5. Science and policy needed to sustain agriculture in mixed grassland environments, including role of marketbased tools, state and local water laws and policies, and environmental trades (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, water allocation, effluent releases). Lead speaker: George Boody, Executive Director, Land Stewardship Project

Conference Schedule

October 20. 2008

2:00 PM Opening Session

Dr. Frederick L. Kirschenmann

Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

4:00 PM ARS Grazinglands Research Laboratory, El Reno, OK

October 21, 2008

8:00 AM Topic 1 Keynote; Response One/Two

9:30 AM Break for viewing and discussion of posters on Topics 1 and 2

10:00 AM Topic 2 Keynote; Response One/Two

11:30 AM Lunch & Moderated Roundtable Discussion of Topics 1 and 2

1:30 PM Topic 3 Keynote; Response One/Two

3:00 PM Break for viewing and discussion of posters on Topic 3

3:30 PM Moderated Roundtable Discussion of Topic 3

5:00 PM Reception for discussion of posters

Evening No scheduled activities Bricktown shuttle available

October 22. 2008

8:00 AM Topic 4 Keynote; Response One/Two

9:30 AM Break for viewing and discussion of posters on Topic 4 and 5

10:00 AM Topic 5 Keynote; Response One/Two

11:30 AM Lunch & Moderated Roundtable Discussion of Topics 4 and 5

1:30 PM Closing Plenary

Jean Steiner, USDA-ARS

Craig Cox, SWCS Executive Director

SWCS will develop the conference proceedings and will disseminate the findings and recommendations to key scientific, policy maker, and agricultural audiences. Questions about the conference can be directed to events@swcs.org

Source: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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